LOGINLyralei tumbled down the hill and fought furiously against the shadow wolf that still had her paw locked in its teeth.The ground came up hard beneath her and she felt rocks tear at her fur as she rolled. The wolf's jaws clamped down tighter and refused to give her any chance to break free. Pain shot through her foreleg with every movement.She could hear the others above jumping down the slope and chasing after her. Their claws scraped against rock and dirt rained down as they descended.She was fucked and she knew it.Desperation clawed at her chest and she made a decision. Her mark flared beneath her fur and gold light blazed across her body. Her eyes glowed molten gold and her fur took on an ethereal glow.Almost immediately she felt that presence lock onto her again.Kragoth's attention snapped toward her like a predator's gaze fixing on prey. She could feel it pressing against her mind with that same malicious weight she'd felt in the settlement. But worse than that, she felt th
Lyralei stared at the man as he began to turn.For a split second Davros's face flashed in her mind but when the man fully turned she saw it was someone else entirely. Different features. Different build. But those same black veins crawling across his skin like corruption made visible.She growled low in her throat and began circling him slowly. Her wolf form was tense and ready to spring.The man laughed and the sound was all wrong. Too casual for someone standing in a clearing with a kidnapped child and an army of shadow wolves closing in."What are you doing here?" His voice carried genuine amusement like he'd just run into an old friend instead of a wolf that wanted to rip his throat out.Lyralei felt rage spike through her chest and her growl deepened.Behind her the thunder of paws hitting dirt grew louder. The shadow wolves that had been chasing her burst into the clearing from multiple directions and fanned out in a circle. They surrounded her completely and cut off every esca
“Fuck!!! Fuck!!! Fuck!!!!”Lyralei cursed and broke into a run.The entire horde surged after her and their claws scraped against stone in a sound that made her teeth hurt. Dozens of them chased after her with the intent to kill.It had been so long since this happened that she'd almost forgotten it could still happen. The shadow wolves targeting her specifically because of her mark, because of whatever the hell Kragoth saw in her that made him want her dead more than anyone else.Her legs pumped hard as she sprinted down the corridor and tried to put distance between herself and the horde. Her ribs screamed where the claws had caught her earlier but she ignored the pain."Lyralei!"Someone was yelling her name. She turned her head to see who it was and a shadow wolf lunged from her blind spot. Its claws came at her face and she threw herself sideways at the last second. The claws whistled past her ear close enough that she felt the air move.She hit the ground rolling and came up run
Lyralei stumbled out of the room behind Nessa and nearly threw up.Blood everywhere with red and black mixed together on the stone floor in pools that were still spreading. Bodies scattered across the corridor—some dissolving into smoke while others just lay there broken and torn apart. A woman's corpse slumped against the wall with her throat ripped out while three shadow wolves fed on what was left of a warrior who'd been split open from chest to groin.The settlement had turned into a slaughterhouse.Screams echoed off the stone walls while metal clashed against claws and the wet sounds of flesh tearing and bones cracking filled the air. Growls and snarls from both sides mixed together until she couldn't tell which was which.A shadow wolf charged down the corridor toward them. Nessa moved before Lyralei could react. One sword took the wolf's front legs out. The other drove through its skull as it fell. Black blood sprayed across the wall. The body dissolved.Lyralei's mark pulsed
He didn't see it coming or even hear it. Just felt the impact slam into his ribs and lift him off his feet. He flew sideways and hit the stone terrace with his shoulder. Pain exploded through his arm.His swords clattered across the ground.He rolled onto his back, gasping. His ribs screamed. His ears were ringing. Everything sounded muffled and distant like he was underwater.He blinked hard and forced his vision to clear.The terrace was chaos. Absolute fucking chaos. Warriors fighting everywhere. Shadow wolves swarming. Blood—red and black—covering every surface. Bodies dissolving into smoke while others stayed solid where they'd fallen.His formation was holding but just barely. The shield wall had gaps in it now. Gaps that were getting bigger with every passing second.This would have been worse if not for her.The thought cut through the fog in his head with sharp clarity.Lyralei. The outsider who'd discovered the shadow wolves' weakness. Heart or brain. Such a simple thing. So
Joefrey's blade punched through the shadow wolf's chest and came out the other side dripping black.The creature's eyes went blank. Its body dissolved from the inside out, darkness bleeding into smoke that scattered across the terrace. Joefrey yanked his sword free and spun, already tracking the next target.Two more wolves charged from his left. He met the first one with his right blade high, the steel catching it across the throat. Black blood sprayed across his face and chest. Hot and thick. The smell made his nose burn. He didn't slow down. His left sword came up low and drove into the second wolf's heart with a wet crunch of bone and muscle giving way.Both bodies dissolved before they hit the ground.His beta Rowan fought three paces to his right, dual axes moving in brutal arcs that took heads and split ribs. The man's face was covered in shadow wolf blood, his teeth bared in a snarl that showed too much fang. Half-shifted. Most of his warriors were.The terrace had turned into
Lyralei cursed under her breath as she stared at the dark-furred wolves circling her. They were bigger than normal wolves, not massive but large enough that their shoulders came up to her waist. Their eyes glowed amber in the shadows of the trees, watching her with that patient predator stillness t
Lyralei stared at Gerald’s departing form, fighting the urge to smirk. Since he’d arrived, he’d barely looked at her. Probably not comfortable with losing to someone he’d underestimated. Serves him the fuck right. Eliasen appeared beside her, arms crossed. Her red eyes studied Lyralei’s face wit
Gerald stared at Lyralei’s departing form, his chest heaving with laughter. His leather pants were pooled around his ankles and his cock stood out in the open air, hard and throbbing. He’d never expected her to do that. When she’d moved toward him with that confident sway in her hips, he’d be
Lyralei stared up at Gerald, her breath coming in short gasps. She could feel him pressed against her through their clothes. His dick hard and very much impossible to ignore.She squirmed, trying to shift away. The movement made her feel him more and a whimper escaped her throat before she could st







